What does Ofsted say about play?
Shaun Leannon
2025-07-23 23:01:31
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Play-based learning in Reception classes sometimes does no more than occupy children’s time. If it does not challenge their thinking, problem-solving, persistence and collaboration, it is ineffective in developing their executive functioning. Such poorly planned play keeps children busy but does not support their development: their hands and bodies are active, but their minds are not. Teachers, it is suggested, ‘should plan and prepare resources for play that reflect children’s differing knowledge and broaden their interests’. It is further suggested that teachers might plan for children to practise what they have learned in their play, with the example given of children learning to jump and hop with accuracy and control by watching an adult demonstration and then having a go themselves. The report appears to place strong emphasis on the need for adult direction to ensure that children experience what the report calls ‘high-quality play.’
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